First Look

The Fiat 508 "Balilla" was the most popular car produced in Italy in the thirties. In June 1937, the new "Balilla" 508C, equipped with a 4 cylinder engine was introduced to the car market. The new 508C was used as a platform for vehicles for military applications such as the Fiat 508CM "Coloniale". Characterized by 2 wheel drive traction and the reliable 4 cylinder engine, the "Coloniale" was used for the mobility of officers and HQ operations in North Africa. The overall strength of the vehicle, the bigger size of the tires and great mechanics reliability made the Fiat "Coloniale" suitable for advanced reconnaissance duties in off road terrain.

The 100% new tooled kit of the 'Coloniale' from Italeri consists of just 98 parts molded in grey styrene and 6 parts die cut in clear. Decals are provided for 4 different vehicles. They are:

132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" North Africa Campaign 1942

Regio Esercito Balkens 1943

Luftwaffe Provence (France) 1944

Organization Todt Northern Italy 1944

The parts are well molded but there is a fair amount of flash present for a new kit. It is very thin and should not cause any problems. There is a slight sink mark in the center of each of the main door panels that will need to be filled. Again, this should cause any major problems.

Construction begins with the frame and the running gear. A full engine is provided and can be shown off after the build as the hood can be built open or closed. The interior is up next and the texture on the seats is really nice. Foot pedals are provided and the instrument panel gauges are provided as decals. Only the driver's door is molded as a separate part, all others are molded closed. The kit gives you the option of building the canvas top in the up position or just simply leaving it off. The texture of the canvas is really nice.

Overall, this will build into a very nice kit. It has several highly interesting camo schemes to choose from and will be quite a standout when finished. While it will take a little extra prep work, this one is recommended!

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